Millar sets Richmond Park time trial ‘record’

David Millar has set an unofficial time trial record for a circuit of Richmond Park in London, clocking 13 minutes and 35 seconds around the 6.7 mile circuit on Tuesday.

Millar was in London this week to attend the launch of his new autobiography, Racing Through the Dark: The Fall and Rise of David Millar on Monday evening.

Whilst the Scotsman was in London, he decided to organise a time trial around the park with his ‘private cycling club’ along with several other local cyclists from various clubs.

Millar’s time of 13-35 over 6.7 miles means he completed the loop in just a shade under 30mph – 29.595mph (47.63kmh). Impressive, but also faster than Richmond Park’s road speed limit, which was lowered to 20mph in 2004. Shhh.

Millar completed the ride using his full-on team issue time trial machine, a Cervelo P4, using the same set-up that saw him win the final individual time trial in the Giro d’Italia in May.

Bell asked Millar whether he thought his record would be beaten. “I don’t know, I don’t think so. There aren’t many pros that ride around here, are there,” replied Millar.

Millar is taking a short break before taking part in the Tour de France where he will assist his Garmin-Cervelo team in its attempt to win stage two’s team time trial and lead out American Tyler Farrar in the sprint stages.

Millar became the first Briton to wear all the leader’s jersey in all three Grand Tours during the Giro, having previously lead the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana.

Millar’s autobiography, Racing Through the Dark: The Fall and Rise of David Millar, goes on sale from June 16.

The BBC has now removed the video from its website

Cycling Weekly spoke to Millar Friday lunchtime about the ride. Now back at his home in Girona he explained that he had since written to the Royal Parks. “I apologised profusely, and explained that it was all down to my naivity. I had no idea of the rules.”

Neither did Millar expect Graham Bell to turn up with a video camera. “I explained that I’d lived in France and Spain for so long, where this wouldn’t be a problem, that I didn’t even think to check.”

Millar heads to the Pyrenees for a block of altitude training ahead of the Tour de France and will not ride the national championship road race on June 26 to cut down on any further travelling before the Tour.

Speed limits were originally set in law for motorised carriages. Therefore are not a speed limit ruling on cycles, However one can be cautioned for cycling furiously.

I remember this from discussions in cycling weekly nearly 30 years ago when I used to race and also train in the park with Kingston Wheelers.
Peter Moysey and I managed a 24.15 one balmy evening for what amounted to a 2up on road bikes during a club training session. Doubt if I could even do a 28 min circuit now, but I am sure Peter still can get close as he is still in training and living in Austria as a triathlon skiing and sports trainer. If I remember correctly Peter won the World short course Triathlon that year. circa 1986.
Yes it is a bit of a pain training in the park with the 30 limit and so many cars nowadays. The park is still great for training in the evening after gates are shut without cars.
Des

John Robson

Last time I checked a pedal cycle was not a motor vehicle (and is therefore not subject to speed limits on public roads) nor a mechanically propelled vehicle (and is therefore not subject to the royal parks stricter restrictions).

Of course the TROs around the parks may have changed since then. Of course that still leaves the possibility of various other traffic offences – a pedal cycle is still a vehicle after all!

markyg

Well it beat my lap record, i thought 19 minues was good for a 46 year -old ‘beginner’ cyclist! That’s probably speeding as well.

The bbc-clip is now gone so i presume he did an anti-clockwise complete lap and not the route of the ‘official’ summer early morning time trials there where speeding IS ALLOWED before opening to the cars.

Matt

He is a top bloke, but it would be a bit hipocritical for him to support a first-time, lifetime ban when he got banned for doping and then basically repented and made the most of his second chance.

The only problem is that he has made the most of his second chance but a lot of riders don’t.

Wiesmier

How does he know it’s a record? Hutch used to train there for years and may have gone faster. Have you asked him?

ken reeves

At last you seem to have got the message that tt,s are an important part of the british racing scene. Keep up the improved coverage and you could get back the many who have given up buying the mag. I know of dozens who have stopped buying due to your poor policy.
Whilst I am on , try and make your ride details accurate, practically every week I spot an inaccurate point. i.e.Recently a “climb” at Oakwoodhill. on a route you describe and mark on a map. There is no climb as such there

Tom

Big fan of David. An articulate, gifted and experienced rider. However two points to raise from his new BBC interviews:

1. How can someone who professes to being so vehemently anti-doping not support a first-offence lifetime ban?
2. When did he step back into 1950’s fashion?! (The fashionable glasses, oversized beret…)

Stevie Roach

It’s absolutely disgraceful that a professional rider of his distinction would so blatantly exceed the speed limit…… all those deer must have gone spondy at the site of it.

Next we’ll see him running through red lights and contravening lolipop ladies!